"War is beautiful, wonderful, magnificent! With every battle, there
are new thrills, new adventures! You love battle! Battles are the
ultimate adventures! There are wars, full of thrilling battles, all over
the world! You know that I speak the truth. You thrive on those battles
with your friends and you wish the adventure to continue endlessly. I
understand your feelings. I also wish for the same. We can help each
other, you and I. Come to me! We are one in our purpose!"
With a groan, Ashura awoke miserably. As usual, his first focused sight after waking up was Nazaka's glaring stare. He hated how Nazaka now looked at him as though he was evil. Suddenly ashamed of himself, the Ronin Warrior of Justice quickly avoided the other's eyes. In his dream, he fell victim to the Inferno's charm. The Inferno was the true evil. What would happen to him once he encountered the Inferno for real? What would happen to everyone?
Hitomaro nudged Ashura and handed him a pack to carry. "It is your turn to carry our supplies. We should enter my home during this afternoon."
"Hopefully, we will reach your place before Hariel does," commented Ashura to the Ronin Warrior of Life as he stood up.
Ashura shuddered inwardly. He refused to believe the Inferno presented his major desires. However, the truth of the dreams terrified him. Wanting to escape from his inner turmoil, Ashura decided to focus on his friends rather than himself so he offered words of encouragement to the more downhearted Ronin Warriors and hoped the effects of his encouragement would in turn encourage him. He noticed Toshiten swinging his kusari-gama awkwardly, and he said to the seasonal Ronin, "Put that weapon in its place! Soon we will fight Hariel and then you can unsheathe your weapon!"
Toshiten frowned thoughtfully, also recently awakened from the dream. The Ronin Warrior of Loyalty did not know whether to caress his kusari-gama or to toss the deadly weapon aside.
"How's Kaosu?" Black Blaze asked the other tiger. The two were tense yet were lying on the ground. Once the battle against the Inferno began, the tigers would endure one of the most dangerous and potentially lethal struggles in history. They wanted to reserve their precious, valuable energy for that deadly occasion.
White Blaze glanced worriedly at the monk and replied to the other's question, "He is also experiencing the dreams."
The Ancient One focused on his meditation and on the chants of the nine virtues that were once used by the warrior monks. In the middle of the night, he awoke screaming due to the Inferno's manipulation of Badamon's curse inside of him. At times, he calmed himself with his chants, but then he would experience a sudden flash of irrational anger, and he had to start his chants again to calm himself.
White Blaze sighed sadly. "I wish I knew him before he and Talpa broke the seal on that armor all those years ago. He changed a lot since then."
"Seal everything is your solution, isn't it?"
"No, but we never had the strength to destroy armors. Only the staff at the time had the capability, but we feared to use the staff to destroy Talpa's armor because of balance. If one or the other was destroyed, the spiritual and physical worlds might lose their balance and if they lose their balance, terrible things would happen."
Black Blaze did not understand the ancient teachings of warrior monks. He also did not understand the philosophy of the Clan.
Not knowing how to help his friend, White Blaze decided to change the topic of discussion and inquired of Black Blaze, "Why did you choose to become a tiger?"
Toying idly with a bone from the previous night's dinner, he replied, "Well, Rekka, I wanted to be close to the Inferno so I opened a portal to the nether world, befriended lord Saberstryke, and briefly stole the Jewel of Life which enabled me to change into a tiger."
White Blaze sprang to his feet, "You stole the Jewel of Life!?"
Black Blaze soothed the other tiger, "Briefly, Rekka, briefly. I put it back where it belonged, a long time before anyone would notice its disappearance."
White Blaze noticed the Ronin Warriors stretching and continuing their march. "Tier Monnik, let's go," the Guardian of Virtue told Black Blaze. The two tigers stretched and started walking quickly. They had to hurry if they were sure to reach the Inferno before Hariel.
"There is only one known way to defeat the Inferno," White Blaze said. "That tactic is to grab the soul of the Inferno's wearer and separate the soul from the body."
Black Blaze stated, "In other words, the wearer of the Inferno must be murdered without conventional weapons. Tekaku used that tactic."
"Be silenced, Tier Monnik!" shouted White Blaze. The tactic that Tekaku used resulted in his own suicide. If White Blaze was more attentive to his friend's tone, there would have been nine warrior monks. If White Blaze was more attentive to his friend's tone, Tekaku would have lived to fight and defeat Talpa. If White Blaze was more attentive to his friend's tone, there would be no need for innocent people to wear the Ronin armors.
Tekaku came to White Blaze, then known as Rekka, the night before the first defeat of the White Inferno. Tekaku's hands shook and his face was troubled. Rekka thought nothing strange of his friend. Everyone was troubled; the Inferno's strength was terrifying.
Full of the hopeless determination that comes from accepting the end, Tekaku told Rekka, "Perfect Virtue is supposed to lead all of the other traits. Your skill progressed a lot in the recent years, Rekka. You're like a younger brother to everyone." A loose hierarchy existed among the warrior monks based on their virtues. Perfect Virtue was the leader and if not Perfect Virtue then Life was the leader. Rekka was the youngest warrior monk in the sense of mastering his trait. Warrior monks typically began their practice during their early teens, but Rekka became a warrior monk when he was deep in his twenties.
Tekaku sighed, "Life and Death go hand in hand. Chaos will result if one was to dominate. The Inferno and its wearer wish for Death to dominate. We wish for Life to continue yet in order for Life to continue, we must cause Death."
Rekka nodded, understanding his friend's unusual word usage. "We must kill the wearer of the Inferno."
Tekaku stood up, "Relax, Rekka. Tomorrow the world will be safe. I want you to fulfill your responsibilities."
"Tekaku's death will be avenged!" White Blaze vowed, growling. "Tekaku felt desperate, helpless. He believed there was no other way to defeat the Inferno, but there is another way!"
Black Blaze shook his head sadly, "A great loss will always be necessary to defeat the Inferno. Always."
White Blaze scowled silently.
The castle of lord Mitoma Hitomaro was painful to the eyes. In his struggle to obtain the fanciest and most expensive relics from the world, Hitomaro of Strata disregarded the miniscule parameters of his castle. Paintings competed for space along every wall. Statues fought for the right to be seen first among the cluttered masses. Scrolls were crammed and stacked haphazardly on the shelves, and hoped for someone to read them (or at least wipe the dust off).
"Shiro, this place scares me," Yuki said, hugging the Ronin Warrior of Wisdom and cautiously eying the life-like monstrosity of junk.
Ashura of Hardrock wished everyone wore the proper apparel for being in a lord's castle. Everyone took off their armors before entering and wore the same stinky peasantry clothes that they wore for the past few days. Having lived in both a noble household and a commoner's society, Karei Ashura felt a certain sense of appropriateness in wearing noble garb in a castle and peasantry clothes in a village.
Hitomaro was relieved to be home finally. "We arrived before Hariel. I will post a large amount of guards outside to watch for Hariel. They will warn me when he approaches. In the meantime, we can relax. A bath and a massage are necessary. Would anyone else enjoy the same method of relaxation?"
Idoju replied, "Well, early yesterday morning, Ashura and I discussed the poems that I should recite when I return to my former lord's castle. I plan to serve lord Takashi's son and my rejoining the ranks requires not only a display of skill, but also an excellent poem. Civility and strength are equally important."
In the ancient days, the nobility adored poems. Poem contests were frequent events and all of the nobility had to be able to create a poem in an instant. Shiro firmly disliked every part of a nobleman's life so he ignored the conversation about poems. Propping Yuki on his shoulder, he asked the remaining Ronin Warriors, "Who wants ta play with the tot?" No one else was interested. "Oh, well," Shiro shrugged, "C'mon, Yuki, let's try ta clean up this mess and find a playground!" The child whimpered slightly and surveyed the junk.
Nazaka scowled. The Ronin Warrior of Piety sensed Shiro's emotions. The Ronin Warrior of Wisdom was terrified to face the Inferno, the cause of his disgrace. Shiro wanted to set aside his fear and his sadness by paying attention to Yuki whose youth and hope encouraged him. A special bond existed between Shiro and Yuki, but Nazaka did not know what the bond was.
Sasaki Idoju interrupted his thoughts, "Hitomaro, before you leave, could you show the Inferno to me?"
"I'm sorry I don't do much of anything," Yuki said ruefully, "I just don't know what to do with the Jewel of Life. The Ancient One said I'd know how to use it, but I don't. I'm feeling something from the Jewel of Life so maybe I'm more innocent. An innocent person is supposed ta be able ta use the Jewel of Life. I think the Jewel wants to help me to use it like how your armor helps you to use your armor, but I don't know. I really want to help."
Shiro of Halo lain down, enjoying a moment of relaxation. "You're helping already," he said with a warm smile. "You know, you're more special than me. You have Jiguro for a father and Keiko for a mother. They're some of the nicest people I met and I never use those words lightly."
Tired, Yuki decided to rest comfortably on Shiro's lap. She wished she believed his words. If so many people believed she was special, maybe she truly was special.
An hour passed without any report of Hariel's appearance and the Ronin Warriors were bored. They gathered together for a brief meal and afterwards, worries eventually gave way to idle chatter. "So, what do you think the next wearers of our armors would be like?" Morhiko asked his friends.
Hitomaro instantly had an answer, "The next wearer of Strata will be very intelligent, handsome, poetic and he will have plenty of talent with the ladies! He will also be rich, of course, with an elegant castle that every emperor of Japan, past, future, and present, will envy!"
Toshiten whispered to Ashura, "In other words, the next person who wears Strata certainly won't be Hitomaro."
Ashura's body shook slightly with giggles and then convulsed with laughter.
Hitomaro frowned, feeling offended. "Well, Ashura and Toshiten, you two tell us what the future wearers of your armors will be like!"
"Uh, loyal?" Toshiten said as though voicing a question. In truth, he could not imagine what the future would be or the people.
Ashura also lacked imagination as was evident when he answered, "The next person who wears Hardrock will have a firm sense of justice."
Morhiko told the Chinese noble, "Ashura, I don't think we should include the armor's traits because that's a given. Personally, I want the next Ronin Warrior of Trust to be very fond of the fish and of the water. I also want him to be caring and sympathetic."
Nazaka asked Morhiko, "Isn't water an armor trait?"
"I love water! I was raised near water! So water is a personality trait!"
Smirking, Nazaka crossed his arms, "I was also raised near water and I keep the waters safe by fighting snake demons. Water is not a personality trait. Anyway, the next Ronin Warrior of Piety will be friendly, helpful, and strong. He'll be stronger than anyone else."
Everyone looked at Shiro until he exclaimed, "He'll be full-blood Japanese with black hair, black eyes, the works! Everyone will love him and he'll die happy!"
Idoju was next, "The next Ronin Warrior of Obedience will be honorable and noble."
Jiguro's choice was, "The next Ronin Warrior of Serenity will be a devout follower of the ways of the Ancient's clan. I really can't think of anything else."
If Hariel thought coherently, he would have arrived at Hitomaro's castle long before the Ronin Warriors arrived. However, because of the strain on his sanity, he stumbled through the woods in a befuddled zigzag pattern, stopping occasionally to retrace his steps and then to run from imaginary enemies. For over 56 hours, he never slept because in his sleep, his conflicting desires of power and virtue tore at his soul. When Hariel gazed at Hitomaro's castle, he smiled and cried. Deep in his soul, he knew the end was near.
Hitomaro posted two guards - a veteran and a beginner - at the front towers of his castle. Hitomaro never told his guards about the nature of the threat however the outcome of the soldiers' misfortune was the result of both their characteristic flaws.
"I see movement in the trees," said the beginner, feeling the excitement that every beginner feels. "I will go tell lord Mitoma."
"No," said the veteran, feeling superior towards the youthful beginner, "Lord Mitoma Hitomaro will be pleased if we kill what is in the trees for him."
"Okay."
In unison, they aimed their arrows and let loose a dozen volleys. The movement in the trees stopped. The beginner grinned joyfully. Unfortunately, his grin ceased instantly. "What's that in the trees?" he worriedly asked the superior veteran. The veteran shook his head furiously, not believing the hideous reddish growing sight. They never learned what demon came to attack lord Mitoma Hitomaro's castle as the deadly flames of Wildfire stretched out from the forest, incinerating their bodies and collapsing the front of Hitomaro's castle.
Hariel's face was a mixture of contradictions - happiness, fear, despair, anger and oppression - as he gazed at the White Inferno. He desired the Inferno with every fiber of his soul yet he also wanted the Inferno to stay away from his soul.
"Yes, you are here," the White Inferno said to his soul. "With me, you will be all-powerful and you want power. We will help each other. We are one in our purpose."
Hariel gently put his hands on the shoulders of the armor and examined the Inferno. "There are no swords."
"The swords will come. Will me to you like how you will your current armor to you."
Sanada Hariel rested his head against the armor's helmet and bared his soul to the Inferno. Then his soul and the soul of the Inferno touched, revealing every secret with the armor of Wildfire connecting them together. The Inferno instantly stripped his self-control away from him. Hariel became a pawn, a puppet, a tool for evil and bloodshed. "No, no, no! I don't want to be that!" he tried to cry aloud as he focused on Wildfire. The kanji for Virtue flared up on his forehead, fighting the Inferno's evil oppression, but quickly blackened. The Inferno gained the upper hand over the battle.
The possession of Hariel instantly alerted the Ronin Warriors of a grievous action as their own kanjis lit up on their foreheads. They hurriedly armored up and zoomed out of the room towards the hallway that contained the Inferno.
Nazaka felt their souls touching against the Inferno's evil. The Inferno reached out to them and tempted them with the promises of their darkest pleasures. The evil's calling strengthened, as they approached. They wanted to flee from the evil, but they had no choice in whether or not to flee since their mission was to destroy the Inferno.
Jiguro suddenly fell to his knees as he screamed painfully. As Toshiten bent down to help the Ronin Warrior of Serenity to his feet, Nazaka saw a blackened kanji on Jiguro's forehead. Witnessing the direct effects of the Inferno's evil, Nazaka doubted the usefulness of his armor. The armor for Summer was created to extract poison from a person's body. How could the armor be effective against a poison that lay embedded in the very fabric of a person's soul?
The blackened kanji faded away and Jiguro, dizzy, fell into Toshiten's arms. Jiguro then braced himself upright. Clutching his head, he stumbled out of the hallway.
With a groan, Ashura awoke miserably. As usual, his first focused sight after waking up was Nazaka's glaring stare. He hated how Nazaka now looked at him as though he was evil. Suddenly ashamed of himself, the Ronin Warrior of Justice quickly avoided the other's eyes. In his dream, he fell victim to the Inferno's charm. The Inferno was the true evil. What would happen to him once he encountered the Inferno for real? What would happen to everyone?
Hitomaro nudged Ashura and handed him a pack to carry. "It is your turn to carry our supplies. We should enter my home during this afternoon."
"Hopefully, we will reach your place before Hariel does," commented Ashura to the Ronin Warrior of Life as he stood up.
Ashura shuddered inwardly. He refused to believe the Inferno presented his major desires. However, the truth of the dreams terrified him. Wanting to escape from his inner turmoil, Ashura decided to focus on his friends rather than himself so he offered words of encouragement to the more downhearted Ronin Warriors and hoped the effects of his encouragement would in turn encourage him. He noticed Toshiten swinging his kusari-gama awkwardly, and he said to the seasonal Ronin, "Put that weapon in its place! Soon we will fight Hariel and then you can unsheathe your weapon!"
Toshiten frowned thoughtfully, also recently awakened from the dream. The Ronin Warrior of Loyalty did not know whether to caress his kusari-gama or to toss the deadly weapon aside.
"How's Kaosu?" Black Blaze asked the other tiger. The two were tense yet were lying on the ground. Once the battle against the Inferno began, the tigers would endure one of the most dangerous and potentially lethal struggles in history. They wanted to reserve their precious, valuable energy for that deadly occasion.
White Blaze glanced worriedly at the monk and replied to the other's question, "He is also experiencing the dreams."
The Ancient One focused on his meditation and on the chants of the nine virtues that were once used by the warrior monks. In the middle of the night, he awoke screaming due to the Inferno's manipulation of Badamon's curse inside of him. At times, he calmed himself with his chants, but then he would experience a sudden flash of irrational anger, and he had to start his chants again to calm himself.
White Blaze sighed sadly. "I wish I knew him before he and Talpa broke the seal on that armor all those years ago. He changed a lot since then."
"Seal everything is your solution, isn't it?"
"No, but we never had the strength to destroy armors. Only the staff at the time had the capability, but we feared to use the staff to destroy Talpa's armor because of balance. If one or the other was destroyed, the spiritual and physical worlds might lose their balance and if they lose their balance, terrible things would happen."
Black Blaze did not understand the ancient teachings of warrior monks. He also did not understand the philosophy of the Clan.
Not knowing how to help his friend, White Blaze decided to change the topic of discussion and inquired of Black Blaze, "Why did you choose to become a tiger?"
Toying idly with a bone from the previous night's dinner, he replied, "Well, Rekka, I wanted to be close to the Inferno so I opened a portal to the nether world, befriended lord Saberstryke, and briefly stole the Jewel of Life which enabled me to change into a tiger."
White Blaze sprang to his feet, "You stole the Jewel of Life!?"
Black Blaze soothed the other tiger, "Briefly, Rekka, briefly. I put it back where it belonged, a long time before anyone would notice its disappearance."
White Blaze noticed the Ronin Warriors stretching and continuing their march. "Tier Monnik, let's go," the Guardian of Virtue told Black Blaze. The two tigers stretched and started walking quickly. They had to hurry if they were sure to reach the Inferno before Hariel.
"There is only one known way to defeat the Inferno," White Blaze said. "That tactic is to grab the soul of the Inferno's wearer and separate the soul from the body."
Black Blaze stated, "In other words, the wearer of the Inferno must be murdered without conventional weapons. Tekaku used that tactic."
"Be silenced, Tier Monnik!" shouted White Blaze. The tactic that Tekaku used resulted in his own suicide. If White Blaze was more attentive to his friend's tone, there would have been nine warrior monks. If White Blaze was more attentive to his friend's tone, Tekaku would have lived to fight and defeat Talpa. If White Blaze was more attentive to his friend's tone, there would be no need for innocent people to wear the Ronin armors.
Tekaku came to White Blaze, then known as Rekka, the night before the first defeat of the White Inferno. Tekaku's hands shook and his face was troubled. Rekka thought nothing strange of his friend. Everyone was troubled; the Inferno's strength was terrifying.
Full of the hopeless determination that comes from accepting the end, Tekaku told Rekka, "Perfect Virtue is supposed to lead all of the other traits. Your skill progressed a lot in the recent years, Rekka. You're like a younger brother to everyone." A loose hierarchy existed among the warrior monks based on their virtues. Perfect Virtue was the leader and if not Perfect Virtue then Life was the leader. Rekka was the youngest warrior monk in the sense of mastering his trait. Warrior monks typically began their practice during their early teens, but Rekka became a warrior monk when he was deep in his twenties.
Tekaku sighed, "Life and Death go hand in hand. Chaos will result if one was to dominate. The Inferno and its wearer wish for Death to dominate. We wish for Life to continue yet in order for Life to continue, we must cause Death."
Rekka nodded, understanding his friend's unusual word usage. "We must kill the wearer of the Inferno."
Tekaku stood up, "Relax, Rekka. Tomorrow the world will be safe. I want you to fulfill your responsibilities."
"Tekaku's death will be avenged!" White Blaze vowed, growling. "Tekaku felt desperate, helpless. He believed there was no other way to defeat the Inferno, but there is another way!"
Black Blaze shook his head sadly, "A great loss will always be necessary to defeat the Inferno. Always."
White Blaze scowled silently.
The castle of lord Mitoma Hitomaro was painful to the eyes. In his struggle to obtain the fanciest and most expensive relics from the world, Hitomaro of Strata disregarded the miniscule parameters of his castle. Paintings competed for space along every wall. Statues fought for the right to be seen first among the cluttered masses. Scrolls were crammed and stacked haphazardly on the shelves, and hoped for someone to read them (or at least wipe the dust off).
"Shiro, this place scares me," Yuki said, hugging the Ronin Warrior of Wisdom and cautiously eying the life-like monstrosity of junk.
Ashura of Hardrock wished everyone wore the proper apparel for being in a lord's castle. Everyone took off their armors before entering and wore the same stinky peasantry clothes that they wore for the past few days. Having lived in both a noble household and a commoner's society, Karei Ashura felt a certain sense of appropriateness in wearing noble garb in a castle and peasantry clothes in a village.
Hitomaro was relieved to be home finally. "We arrived before Hariel. I will post a large amount of guards outside to watch for Hariel. They will warn me when he approaches. In the meantime, we can relax. A bath and a massage are necessary. Would anyone else enjoy the same method of relaxation?"
Idoju replied, "Well, early yesterday morning, Ashura and I discussed the poems that I should recite when I return to my former lord's castle. I plan to serve lord Takashi's son and my rejoining the ranks requires not only a display of skill, but also an excellent poem. Civility and strength are equally important."
In the ancient days, the nobility adored poems. Poem contests were frequent events and all of the nobility had to be able to create a poem in an instant. Shiro firmly disliked every part of a nobleman's life so he ignored the conversation about poems. Propping Yuki on his shoulder, he asked the remaining Ronin Warriors, "Who wants ta play with the tot?" No one else was interested. "Oh, well," Shiro shrugged, "C'mon, Yuki, let's try ta clean up this mess and find a playground!" The child whimpered slightly and surveyed the junk.
Nazaka scowled. The Ronin Warrior of Piety sensed Shiro's emotions. The Ronin Warrior of Wisdom was terrified to face the Inferno, the cause of his disgrace. Shiro wanted to set aside his fear and his sadness by paying attention to Yuki whose youth and hope encouraged him. A special bond existed between Shiro and Yuki, but Nazaka did not know what the bond was.
Sasaki Idoju interrupted his thoughts, "Hitomaro, before you leave, could you show the Inferno to me?"
"I'm sorry I don't do much of anything," Yuki said ruefully, "I just don't know what to do with the Jewel of Life. The Ancient One said I'd know how to use it, but I don't. I'm feeling something from the Jewel of Life so maybe I'm more innocent. An innocent person is supposed ta be able ta use the Jewel of Life. I think the Jewel wants to help me to use it like how your armor helps you to use your armor, but I don't know. I really want to help."
Shiro of Halo lain down, enjoying a moment of relaxation. "You're helping already," he said with a warm smile. "You know, you're more special than me. You have Jiguro for a father and Keiko for a mother. They're some of the nicest people I met and I never use those words lightly."
Tired, Yuki decided to rest comfortably on Shiro's lap. She wished she believed his words. If so many people believed she was special, maybe she truly was special.
An hour passed without any report of Hariel's appearance and the Ronin Warriors were bored. They gathered together for a brief meal and afterwards, worries eventually gave way to idle chatter. "So, what do you think the next wearers of our armors would be like?" Morhiko asked his friends.
Hitomaro instantly had an answer, "The next wearer of Strata will be very intelligent, handsome, poetic and he will have plenty of talent with the ladies! He will also be rich, of course, with an elegant castle that every emperor of Japan, past, future, and present, will envy!"
Toshiten whispered to Ashura, "In other words, the next person who wears Strata certainly won't be Hitomaro."
Ashura's body shook slightly with giggles and then convulsed with laughter.
Hitomaro frowned, feeling offended. "Well, Ashura and Toshiten, you two tell us what the future wearers of your armors will be like!"
"Uh, loyal?" Toshiten said as though voicing a question. In truth, he could not imagine what the future would be or the people.
Ashura also lacked imagination as was evident when he answered, "The next person who wears Hardrock will have a firm sense of justice."
Morhiko told the Chinese noble, "Ashura, I don't think we should include the armor's traits because that's a given. Personally, I want the next Ronin Warrior of Trust to be very fond of the fish and of the water. I also want him to be caring and sympathetic."
Nazaka asked Morhiko, "Isn't water an armor trait?"
"I love water! I was raised near water! So water is a personality trait!"
Smirking, Nazaka crossed his arms, "I was also raised near water and I keep the waters safe by fighting snake demons. Water is not a personality trait. Anyway, the next Ronin Warrior of Piety will be friendly, helpful, and strong. He'll be stronger than anyone else."
Everyone looked at Shiro until he exclaimed, "He'll be full-blood Japanese with black hair, black eyes, the works! Everyone will love him and he'll die happy!"
Idoju was next, "The next Ronin Warrior of Obedience will be honorable and noble."
Jiguro's choice was, "The next Ronin Warrior of Serenity will be a devout follower of the ways of the Ancient's clan. I really can't think of anything else."
If Hariel thought coherently, he would have arrived at Hitomaro's castle long before the Ronin Warriors arrived. However, because of the strain on his sanity, he stumbled through the woods in a befuddled zigzag pattern, stopping occasionally to retrace his steps and then to run from imaginary enemies. For over 56 hours, he never slept because in his sleep, his conflicting desires of power and virtue tore at his soul. When Hariel gazed at Hitomaro's castle, he smiled and cried. Deep in his soul, he knew the end was near.
Hitomaro posted two guards - a veteran and a beginner - at the front towers of his castle. Hitomaro never told his guards about the nature of the threat however the outcome of the soldiers' misfortune was the result of both their characteristic flaws.
"I see movement in the trees," said the beginner, feeling the excitement that every beginner feels. "I will go tell lord Mitoma."
"No," said the veteran, feeling superior towards the youthful beginner, "Lord Mitoma Hitomaro will be pleased if we kill what is in the trees for him."
"Okay."
In unison, they aimed their arrows and let loose a dozen volleys. The movement in the trees stopped. The beginner grinned joyfully. Unfortunately, his grin ceased instantly. "What's that in the trees?" he worriedly asked the superior veteran. The veteran shook his head furiously, not believing the hideous reddish growing sight. They never learned what demon came to attack lord Mitoma Hitomaro's castle as the deadly flames of Wildfire stretched out from the forest, incinerating their bodies and collapsing the front of Hitomaro's castle.
Hariel's face was a mixture of contradictions - happiness, fear, despair, anger and oppression - as he gazed at the White Inferno. He desired the Inferno with every fiber of his soul yet he also wanted the Inferno to stay away from his soul.
"Yes, you are here," the White Inferno said to his soul. "With me, you will be all-powerful and you want power. We will help each other. We are one in our purpose."
Hariel gently put his hands on the shoulders of the armor and examined the Inferno. "There are no swords."
"The swords will come. Will me to you like how you will your current armor to you."
Sanada Hariel rested his head against the armor's helmet and bared his soul to the Inferno. Then his soul and the soul of the Inferno touched, revealing every secret with the armor of Wildfire connecting them together. The Inferno instantly stripped his self-control away from him. Hariel became a pawn, a puppet, a tool for evil and bloodshed. "No, no, no! I don't want to be that!" he tried to cry aloud as he focused on Wildfire. The kanji for Virtue flared up on his forehead, fighting the Inferno's evil oppression, but quickly blackened. The Inferno gained the upper hand over the battle.
The possession of Hariel instantly alerted the Ronin Warriors of a grievous action as their own kanjis lit up on their foreheads. They hurriedly armored up and zoomed out of the room towards the hallway that contained the Inferno.
Nazaka felt their souls touching against the Inferno's evil. The Inferno reached out to them and tempted them with the promises of their darkest pleasures. The evil's calling strengthened, as they approached. They wanted to flee from the evil, but they had no choice in whether or not to flee since their mission was to destroy the Inferno.
Jiguro suddenly fell to his knees as he screamed painfully. As Toshiten bent down to help the Ronin Warrior of Serenity to his feet, Nazaka saw a blackened kanji on Jiguro's forehead. Witnessing the direct effects of the Inferno's evil, Nazaka doubted the usefulness of his armor. The armor for Summer was created to extract poison from a person's body. How could the armor be effective against a poison that lay embedded in the very fabric of a person's soul?
The blackened kanji faded away and Jiguro, dizzy, fell into Toshiten's arms. Jiguro then braced himself upright. Clutching his head, he stumbled out of the hallway.